Changes of Winter Olympic Sports
Since the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924 there have been gradual changes in the number and types of sports. However, some things have not changed: cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping, and speed skating have been on the program at every Winter Olympics since the first in 1924.
The addition of Ski Mountaineering in 2026 is the first change in the number of sports since 2002, though the number of events has continued to rise. In 2018, four new events were introduced - big air snowboarding, mixed doubles curling, mass start speed skating, and mixed team alpine skiing. In 2022, there were another seven events added: women's monobob, mens and women's big air, and mixed team events in aerials skiing, ski jumping, short track speedskating and snowboardcross. In 2026, the new events are: men's and women's dual moguls, women's doubles luge, women's large hill ski jump, and mixed team skeleton.
| Year | Host city | No. of Sports | Disciplines | Events | Change in Sport Disciplines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Milan- Cortina d'Ampezzo | 8 | 16 | 116 | ski mountaineering added |
| 2022 | Beijing | 7 | 15 | 109 | unchanged |
| 2018 | PyeongChang | 7 | 15 | 102 | unchanged |
| 2014 | Sochi | 7 | 15 | 98 | unchanged |
| 2010 | Vancouver | 7 | 15 | 86 | unchanged |
| 2006 | Torino | 7 | 15 | 84 | unchanged |
| 2002 | Salt Lake City | 7 | 15 | 78 | skeleton added |
| 1998 | Nagano | 7 | 14 | 68 | curling and snowboarding added |
| 1994 | Lillehammer | 6 | 12 | 61 | unchanged |
| 1992 | Albertville | 6 | 12 | 57 | short track speed skating and freestyle skiing added |
| 1988 | Calgary | 6 | 10 | 46 | unchanged |
| 1984 | Sarajevo | 6 | 10 | 39 | unchanged |
| 1980 | Lake Placid | 6 | 10 | 38 | unchanged |
| 1976 | Innsbruck | 6 | 10 | 37 | unchanged |
| 1972 | Sapporo | 6 | 10 | 35 | unchanged |
| 1968 | Grenoble | 6 | 10 | 35 | unchanged |
| 1964 | Innsbruck | 6 | 10 | 34 | luge and bobsleigh added |
| 1960 | Squaw Valley | 4 | 8 | 27 | biathlon added, bobsleigh removed |
| 1956 | Cortina d'Ampezzo | 4 | 8 | 24 | unchanged |
| 1952 | Oslo | 4 | 8 | 22 | skeleton removed |
| 1948 | St. Moritz | 4 | 9 | 22 | skeleton added |
| 1936 | Garmisch-Partenkirchen | 4 | 8 | 17 | alpine skiing added |
| 1932 | Lake Placid | 4 | 7 | 14 | skeleton removed |
| 1928 | St. Moritz | 4 | 8 | 14 | skeleton added, curling and military patrol removed |
| 1924 | Chamonix | 6 | 9 | 16 | speed skating, curling, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, nordic combined, bobsleigh and military patrol added |
| 1920 | Antwerp | 2 | 2 | 4 | ice hockey added |
| 1908 | London | 1 | 1 | 4 | figure skating added |
Notes:
- Figure skating events were held at the 1908 Summer Olympics, and figure skating and men's ice hockey were held at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
Related Pages
- List of Winter Olympic Games Sports
- The Number of Medal Events — charting the changes over time.
- What is your favorite Winter Olympics sport? Take the poll.
- Women and Winter Olympic Sports
- Most popular Winter Olympic Sports
- Winter Sports Clipart
- Discontinued Winter Olympic Sports
- Changes in the summer Olympic Games sports
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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